Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[Austat]

1962 VW T1 Van "Half-Track Fox"

[timolloyd]

Allowing the Germans to build anything with tracks in the early 60s would have caused some nervousness, I suspect. 

[HarmonicCheeseburger]

FERRARI MEERA S

Quote

 

Custom-ordered in 1983 by an appropriately well-off Saudi Arabian prince (at a reported cost of around $1 million), it was based on the Ferrari 400i grand tourer, and as such was powered by a 4.8-litre V12 with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, coupled to a GM-sourced three-speed automatic transmission.

The brief from the Saudi royal was relatively open, with the request being for a modernised 400i, clad in suitably sharp ‘80s wedge style bodywork, and filled with modern convenience features.

 

  

Quote

 

And so, Ferrari sent a 400i wearing the chassis number ‘41421’ to Turin’s Carrozzeria Studio Tecnico Michelotti for the bespoke build to be undertaken – and as it happened this would turn out to be the last Ferrari to be designed and crafted by the coachbuilder.

The original 400i body was removed, and a new, more aerodynamic form was hand-fabricated, using mostly steel, but with an aluminium nose, doors, and tail section.

 

  

Quote

 

The resulting design has a number of 1980s cues familiar from other models, bearing a resemblance to the Mitsubishi Starion of the same era, and even to the final car designed by Michelotti, the Reliant Scimitar SS1. The latter is perhaps no surprise, given that the SS1 was penned by Michelotti in 1979 while working with designer Tateo Uchida, who went on to become the chief designer at Studio Tecnico Micehlotti when the Meera S was created.

In a press release issued on the Meera S’s debut, Uchida stated that the brief “came as a challenge” but that his aim was to “design a real Ferrari, emphasising the company’s traditional sports car image with a contemporary rather than classic look.”

 

Quote

 

The final car was 5cm shorter than the 400i and more aerodynamic. This, combined with the same 315bhp 4.8-litre V12 allowed the Meera S to sprint from zero to 62mph in less than seven seconds, with a top speed of 152mph.

Far more than a facelifted 400i, the Meera S was also something of a technological tour-de-force, featuring window wipers on all four sides, dual-zone air conditioning, a digital electronic dashboard, remote central locking, and a camera and a monitor in place of a rear-view mirror – a concept which is only just beginning to appear in production vehicles today.

 

Quote

 

Additional features included a high-end Clarion sound system, an electric sunroof, and a single rear seat, with the other replaced by a mini bar.

Cosmetically, the car was finished in off-white paintwork with silver side stripes highlighting its bold, sharp-edged design, and the interior was trimmed in a mixture of beige velour and grey suede.

Unexpectedly, the Meera S and its original owner parted ways after just a few months. It was later acquired by Dutch racing driver Charles Zwolsman and added to his sizeable collection of Ferraris and Maseratis, but was auctioned by the Dutch state in 2001 after Zwolsman was convicted of drug smuggling.

By 2003, the car had found its way to the USA and was offered for sale with an asking price of $123,500 by a Floridian dealer, and was exhibited at the Cavallino Classic show in Florida one year later.

 

November 2010, it was given a new lease of life thanks to more than €250,000 in restoration work carried out by Ferrari Classiche, where technicians rebuilt the engine, fully reworked the electrical system, and replaced the exhaust system, to name but a few items.

The car was also fully repainted in its current hue of Bianco Fuji, and the interior was retrimmed in red and cream leather, having already been recovered in blue leather earlier in its life.

Since then, the car has been auctioned once again, this time fetching a hammer price of €432,500 – in the order of 10 times a standard 400i, which reflects not only its one-off coachwork but also its unique and intriguing features.

 

LINK

[Metal Guru]

1 hour ago, HarmonicCheeseburger said:

FERRARI MEERA S

  

  

LINK

When you’ve got more money than you know what to do with, you take a £100k car, spend £1m on it to get a car that looks like it cost £20k.  I’ve seen better looking fake MR2 “Ferraris”.

[Missy Charm]

Thai Rung Union Car Adventure:

The sharp eyed amongst you will notice the 'Isuzu' badge on the front grille which is there because it's, well, an Isuzu.  The shape will be familiar from that period's Isuzu Rodeo pickup truck, which was sold here in both Isuzu and Bedford/Vauxhall Brava guises.  Thai Rung Union Car's work involved converting the truck body, from the original extended cab backwards, to an SUV.  The result isn't bad, all things considered.  I imagine they will be fairly tough, rugged vehicles that are decent off road but lacking on.  

There was also a Mark 2 Adventure Master, based on the later Rodeo truck:

[Aston Martin]

Never knew they made an E30 M3 convertible. One of 768

 

 

[Landy Mann]

On 3/5/2023 at 4:51 PM, Peter C said:

Apologies if already posted before.

Land Rover long nose, one of two factory prototypes.

I think these were made in Germany in the mid to late 00's, I remember them in a feature in LRO at the time.

[lesapandre]

Marcello Gandini BMW. 

[lesapandre]

22 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

When you’ve got more money than you know what to do with, you take a £100k car, spend £1m on it to get a car that looks like it cost £20k.  I’ve seen better looking fake MR2 “Ferraris”.

Or an RX7...

[bunglebus]

6 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Marcello Gandini BMW. 

Is that a chicken coupe?

[LessThanEqual]

9 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Marcello Gandini BMW. 

I now see where the inspiration for the current 4 series came from.

[Metal Guru]

47 minutes ago, LessThanEqual said:

I now see where the inspiration for the current 4 series came from.

And the un-user friendly vertical mounted radio, the inspiration for the equally awkward I-drive.

[lesapandre]

1 hour ago, LessThanEqual said:

I now see where the inspiration for the current 4 series came from.

Oddly placed radios could be a whole new thread - Marina: angled away from the driver; Citroen GS: between front seats etc...

The car photographed is not the original which is lost - but a complete replica remade by BMW.  And yes I 'd guess part of that has been around finding a radically new (or old) design language for the current and upcoming range of cars...

[EyesWeldedShut]

14 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Oddly placed radios could be a whole new thread - Marina: angled away from the driver; Citroen GS: between front seats etc...

The car photographed is not the original which is lost - but a complete replica remade by BMW.  And yes I 'd guess part of that has been around finding a radically new (or old) design language for the current and upcoming range of cars...

'Classic' Range Rovers circo 1980 - radio on the RH side of the steering wheel on a RHD model - designed for Control Freaks who didn't want the passengers fiddling with their 'ICE'

[Dick Cheeseburger]

This thread links well to my concept cars/photoshop fred here:

 

[quicksilver]

I saw this recently.

TWR Daimler Double Six. A sporting Daimler is an incongruous idea and with the TWR mods usually being done on Jags it may be a one-off.

[High Jetter]

Surely Daimler was a sporting marque? SP 250?

[HarmonicCheeseburger]

Ogle Triplex 10-20 Glassback (1978)

Quote

 

The Ogle Triplex Glassback 10-20 was a concept car commissioned by Triplex in 1977, and followed on from the previous year’s Triplex Ten Twenty Special, as designed by Chris Humberstone. The Princess-based Glassback was a very different beast, though – as it looked much more like a production-reality car, sharing a decent of its external styling with the car it was based upon.

There were some big names involved with the creation of the 10-20 Glassback, not least Carl Olsen of Ogle Design, who revised the front- and rear-ends of the progressive-looking Princess to create this appealingly-styled (and stickered) shooting brake conversion.

Although the Triplex 10-20 Glassback was a created as a publicity vehicle for the car-glass manufacturer’s latest XXX-branded safety glazing, it was something of a styling tour de force in its own right, while conveniently putting right one of the Princess’s wrongs, by adding a fifth door and making it look super-modern by ditching the chrome bumpers.

 

Quote

 

As well as the generously-glazed rear end, the Glassback featured a sunroof fashioned from 2.3mm safety glass (the rest was 3.0mm) – the thinest ever achieved according to Triplex. Some of the car’s features were remarkably prescient – the bold graphics shouted 1980s, not ’70s, while the Triplex Hyviz-coated glass also incorporated a built-in aerial and a mesh demisting element.

The front and rear bumpers were made from impact-absorbing polycarbonate that were integrally designed with the car in the manner of mainstream cars a decade hence. Clearly, had the 10-20 Glassback been designed by one of the Italian Carrozzeria, it would probably be hailed as an all-time great.

Today, the 10-20 Glassback is just a footnote in BL history, but it deserves wider recognition for its optimistic and forward-looking design. At the time, it not only served to promote Triplex’s safety glass, but it reminded us all that that the Princess really deserved a hatchback rear end, more vibrant colours, and to lose its fussy and outdated chrome detailing (drip rails, bumpers etc.) in favour of a more modern aesthetic.

 

LINK

[bunglebus]

Totally not a Princess. I remember that one from the custom mags at the time

[MiniMinorMk3]

8 hours ago, HarmonicCheeseburger said:

Ogle Triplex 10-20 Glassback (1978)

 

It's a Gaydon. They wheeled it out onto the grass in 2014.

[quicksilver]

19 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Surely Daimler was a sporting marque? SP 250?

Not really since Jaguar took them over. The SP250 was the last car developed under BSA ownership and Jaguar didn't replace it. Daimler's niche seemed to be even more luxurious versions of the Jags.

[lesapandre]

SIAM Di Tella Argenta (it's a BMC Farina made under license in Argentina - the factory pickup body was unique to Argentina and never made it to the UK market.

Australia got a 6-cylinder Farina saloon too - again never sold in the UK. 

 

[lesapandre]

3 hours ago, quicksilver said:

Not really since Jaguar took them over. The SP250 was the last car developed under BSA ownership and Jaguar didn't replace it. Daimler's niche seemed to be even more luxurious versions of the Jags.

Daimler did a few 'sports' saloons and convertibles  both pre and post-war but they were all mildly warmed-over saloon car chassis' - not really sports cars. More aimed at the 'sporting' man who liked fishing and shooting etc.

Here is a 1933 15hp coupe bodied in Australia.

[High Jetter]

3 hours ago, quicksilver said:

Not really since Jaguar took them over. The SP250 was the last car developed under BSA ownership and Jaguar didn't replace it. Daimler's niche seemed to be even more luxurious versions of the Jags.

Sorry, 'was' meant before they were subsumed by Jag. The Daimler brand still had a certain cachet, with the DS420 & Sovereign badge 'upgrades'. 

[barefoot]

Bond WB 120?

[HarmonicCheeseburger]

1966 Alfa Romeo Scarabeo 

 

Quote

 

Project Scarabeo came about in the mid-1960s, when Alfa Romeo was developing a racing prototype with a view to returning to major competition, following its withdrawal in 1953. Thanks to an improved financial position resulting from the sales success of the Giulietta in its various forms, the company had the means to continue from where the development of the stillborn Tipo 160 Grand Prix prototype of 1954 had left off.

The racing prototype sat on an H-shaped chassis, three of which were sent – along with a Giulia GTA engine – to OSI of Turin, which was a subsidiary of Ghia. Each chassis was given different bodywork and a slightly different seating position; one of the principles that the Scarabeo explored was to have the driver seated as far back in the car as possible. The idea had been suggested in the fifties by works driver Consalvo Sanesi, and was intended to give the driver a better position from which to assess the behaviour of – and thus to control – the car.

 

 

Quote

 

The Scarabeo with seats furthest back was the silver coupé that debuted at the 1966 Paris Motor Show – also note the different bodywork from the yellow car. A third, spider version was built as a test mule (thought to have used the exact chassis of the racing prototype) and its bodywork was never completed. Unlike its siblings, the silver coupé was built with right-hand drive, necessitated by the positioning of the rear-mounted engine’s carburettors. They were located just behind the headrest of the seat on the left-hand side of the car, with the occupant only protected from deafness by a thin sheet of Perspex.

A novel approach to chassis design was incorporated into the Scarabeo. The H-shaped structure was fabricated from large-diameter tubes, which also incorporated the fuel tanks to spread the liquid’s weight evenly across the car. This concept was used later in the Tipo 33, as was the Scarabeo’s employment of exotic materials such as magnesium. Other interesting features included a clutch and gearbox that were incorporated into the engine block; drive to the differential was also an integral unit, while the rear disc brakes were located centrally and each corner was sprung independently.

 

 

Quote

Although the Scarabeo concept’s mechanical elements were advanced enough to be used in the prestigious Tipo 33, it seemed there was not a good enough business case to conclude its development with a small production run, as was originally intended. Of the three Scarabeos built, two remain in Alfa’s collezione storica, while the silver coupé escaped and is thought to be in a private collection in Canada.

LINK

[artdjones]

On 3/14/2023 at 2:35 AM, HarmonicCheeseburger said:

Ogle Triplex 10-20 Glassback (1978)

LINK

It could have been a seller for BL with the glass roof panels omitted.

[MiniMinorMk3]

9 hours ago, barefoot said:

Bond WB 120?

That's not a Bond

[bunglebus]

This is a Bond

[SteersWithThrottle]

3 hours ago, HarmonicCheeseburger said:

1966 Alfa Romeo Scarabeo 

 

 

 

LINK

The arse-end reminds me of the Mazda RX500 concept

Though since the Alfa is 4 years earlier, maybe I should say it the other way around. I wonder if it was the same designer..?